Binge watching The Queen has set me to thinking about treacle tarts and steamed puddings. When I think dessert, I admit I usually don’t think England. But I’ve had versions of both of those traditional desserts on visits to England and they’ve been truly memorable. Years ago, I tasted a revelatory treacle tart at Thornbury Castle in Gloucestershire, and it’s remained in my memory all this time. I’ve made several attempts to recreate that tart, but my efforts have never quite measured up to what has become my Platonic ideal of the humble Treacle Tart (maybe it has more to do with the romantic candlelit setting in a sixteenth century Tudor castle than the actual recipe), but I’ll continue trying to make a really great treacle tart.
Another ubiquitous but delicious English dessert is steamed pudding. I’ve made many a steamed pudding at home, but the majority have been underwhelming and… well, dull. I spotted a vanilla steamed pudding recipe while flipping through Donna Hay’s Flavors cookbook, so I decided to give it another shot, adapting it to include blood orange, a flavor I love with vanilla. It was wonderful- warm and comforting, like a steamed pudding should be, with a hit of citrus to liven things up. This one is definitely a keeper.
- 6 1-cup ramekins
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced into ½ inch slices
- 2 cups flour
- 3½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened and chopped into small bits
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup whole milk
- Divide the maple syrup evenly among the 6 ramekins and swirl to cover the bottom.
- Arrange 2-3 slices of blood orange on top of the maple syrup, to cover the bottom on each ramekin.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, baking powder, salt, butter, vanilla, eggs, sugars and milk.
- Process until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins.
- Place a circle of parchment on top of each filled ramekin and then cover each with foil and secure with a string around the ramekin.
- Place the ramekins in one or two large saucepans and place on the stovetop.
- Add simmering water to the saucepans, until the water comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Cover the saucepans and simmer on the stovetop for about 50 - 60 minutes until the puddings have firmed up. (You may need to add a little simmering water to the pans as they cook.)
- Remove ramekins from the water, allow to cool a bit before un-molding onto a plate.
- Roughly chop the remaining blood orange and serve as a garnish along with vanilla scented whipped cream.
